New this year, Unaffiliated can vote in primaries

Broad turnout in primary elections is critical to ensure that candidates on the ballot represent the views of the majority. Primaries typically have lower voter turnout than the November elections. And non-presidential midterm elections have lower turnout than presidential elections. In this midterm primary, let your voice be heard so the candidates on the November ballot will reflect the views of the majority.

Polls Show Voters Want their Representatives to Compromise

Political scientists have observed that voters with the strongest views turn out for primaries—and they have been able to elect candidates with strong views who are not as open to compromise as the broader population says they want. That has led a situation where often the two political parties can’t reach compromise—though surveys have shown most voters want compromise. Results of a Gallup Poll released Oct. 9, 2017 showed this:

“Fifty-four percent of Americans want political leaders in Washington to compromise to get things done. This far outpaces the 18% who would prefer that leaders stick to their beliefs even if little gets done, while the views of 28% fall somewhere in between.

“…44% of national rank-and-file Republicans and independents who lean Republican prefer that leaders compromise, while just 23% favor leaders sticking to their beliefs. For their part, 62% of Democrats and Democratic leaners favor compromise, while 12% favor the “stick to principles” alternative.”

Ballots will be mailed to active voters starting June 4. We hope you will look for your ballot and make your voice heard in this upcoming primary election.

To register, check your registration, view a sample ballot, or find voter service or polling centers, go to www.govotecolorado.com. Or for information call 720.913.VOTE or text 303.653.9668. Voting Service Centers and polling places will open starting June 18 from 7am to 7pm. Ballots must be received by 7pm on Tuesday, June 26.

Unaffiliated Voter Instructions

This year, for the first time, Unaffiliated voters in Colorado will receive two ballots, one for Democratic races and one for Republican races. Those voters should select one ballot to vote and return only one voted ballot.

Unaffiliated voters returning a Primary Ballot will remain Unaffiliated, however, under state law the party of the ballot you choose will be recorded in your voter record

Registration Requirements

Up to eight days prior to the election you can register online. Through Election Day, you can register in person at the Denver County Clerk’s office or at a Voter Service Center in Denver.

To register, you must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of Colorado for at least 22 days, and at least 16 years old (with understanding that you must be 18 years old to be eligible to vote). Following are valid forms of I.D. to register:

A valid Colorado Driver’s License or Colorado ID card OR present an acceptable form of identification for voting (valid U.S. passport, government employee I.D., valid U.S. military card, Medicare or Medicaid card, certified copy of birth certificate, current utility bill, paycheck or government check showing name and address, valid student I.D. with photo, valid veteran’s I.D. card, valid I.D. card from a recognized tribal government.

These candidates live in the Front Porch distribution area.

Four primary candidates live in the Front Porch distribution area—two in Stapleton (governor and treasurer), one in Park Hill (governor), and one in Lowry (attorney general). We asked them to respond to the following two questions:

1. How has living in NE Denver and what you’ve learned from talking to your neighbors in NE Denver influenced your positions in your race?
2. In your campaigning, have you found the issues of greatest concern to NE Denver residents differ from those of voters in other areas? If so, how?

Governor–Mike Johnston, Stapleton

NE Denver is incredibly diverse so I learn great lessons about all of Colorado from daily conversations in my office in Park Hill, when dropping my kids off at Bill Roberts, and when chatting with parents and coaches at Fred Thomas on the weekend. I’ve learned that the people closest to the problem have the best ideas for solving it, so when you’re committed to solving the toughest problems, the first thing you have to do is listen.

Folks here in NE Denver care about many of the same issues that come up anywhere on the campaign trail: how might we increase access to affordable housing, ensure adequate and equitable education funding, or keep our communities, our schools, and our churches safe from gun violence. That said, here in NE Denver, we also experience some of Colorado’s struggles more acutely. For example, a 5-minute walk across Park Hill can take you from the site of frequent gun violence to a place with the fastest growing housing prices in the country.

Governor–Cary Kennedy, Park Hill

We love living in northeast Denver! We moved here to be close to my mom and sister who both live a few blocks away. Like lots of areas in our state, northeast Denver is feeling the impacts of rapid population growth: rising housing costs, traffic and crowded classrooms. Northeast Denver has a rich history of racial and socioeconomic diversity, and I hear from many neighbors they are afraid that the rich diversity is slipping away. Colorado hasn’t adequately managed the impacts growth in our state, which is why I have made addressing growth one of my top platforms as governor. We need to do more to protect our neighborhoods by investing in affordable housing, transit and mobility. And we can strengthen our neighborhoods by supporting public schools. We need to pay our teachers more and give every student the opportunity to succeed. My husband and I both graduated from Manual High School and our kids attended George Washington High School. Neighborhood schools build community and as governor, I’ll make public education our state’s top priority.

Treasurer–Bernard Douthit, Stapleton

As our next state treasurer, I plan to work with our next governor to make the case that universal health care not only is the right thing to do, it is the fiscally responsible thing to do. I got news last year that one of my neighbors had been charged $3,000 for an X-ray of his son’s wrist at a Northfield ER. This really hit home and is an example I have often used on the campaign trail of how we need to bring transparency to health care pricing and to move away from a for-profit health care system. From a finance standpoint, it is the most expensive system in the world.

In rural areas of the state and along the Front Range, the issues are very much the same as they are here in NE Denver—and they are often more acute. These include: getting money out of politics, access to affordable health care and housing, the need for quality schools, and the need for investments in 21st Century infrastructure including Internet and cellular service.

Attorney General–Phil Weiser, Lowry

For the nearly twenty years I have lived in Northeast Denver, I have treasured the collaborative attitude of our neighbors. People in Northeast Denver help each other succeed and are invested in community. That spirit comes through in conversations with friends and neighbors—and is even more pronounced during this difficult time for our country.

The issues of concern to Northeast Denverites mirror what I hear across our state—concerns about who will defend our constitutional freedoms; fight for opportunity for all Coloradans; and protect our natural resources and public health when our federal government is failing to do so.

I am running to be Colorado’s next Attorney General to protect all Coloradans. I have spent my career in public service, working for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, serving in the Justice Department in the Clinton and Obama Administrations, and leading CU Law School as its Dean. I look forward to serving our community and the people of Colorado, addressing the challenges we now face—to our democracy, to our economy, and to our environment.

Front Porch area incumbent Representatives Chris Hansen, James Coleman and Leslie Herod are on the primary ballot. They sent statements about the 2018 state legislative session. See: https://frontporchne.com/article/final-days-2018-legislative-session-nail-biters/